▪ T h e ▪ M o r n i n g ▪ A f t e r ▪
by m o o g l e d a i m e
Summary: Ninjas gone wild! [jk!] Sakura takes advantage¿ of a drunk¿ Sasuke and feels bad about it. She decides she crossed the line and backs off while he doesn't seem to remember. . . or does he? ஐ« Bad Sakura! Very bad Sai! Poor Sasuke— yeah right! ×»[sasusaku]
1. Culprit: Haruno Sakura

**Summary: Sakura takes advantage of a drunken Sasuke and feels bad about it. Sakura decides she crossed the line with her obsession and backs off, while Sasuke doesn't seem to remember… or does he? **SasuSaku (years after the first time jump)

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.

**xXx**

She laid stock still for several minutes, listening to her companion's breathing until it evened out, indicating that he was asleep. She didn't want to disturb him, and she definitely didn't want to cause them both a great amount of embarrassment, so she eased herself out of the bed as gently as a human being could possibly do. Her breath hitched when he turned several times, her paranoia giving her several mini heart attacks each time he did.

Freedom was attained a while later as she successfully maneuvered out of the bed, back into her clothes and out the door. Quieter than a church mouse.

The streets of Konoha were understandably deserted; she made it home without any incident. The only witness to her coming home late was a stray cat. It was a little past three in the morning and ninety-nine percent of the shops were closed already. She enjoyed the soft breeze that floated her way for a moment, before fumbling into her pockets for her keys. Sending a silent prayer of gratitude that she didn't forget them or lose them because of her earlier activities, the female ninja unlocked her apartment door and found sanctuary. The door closed quietly behind her and she rested her back against the cool surface for a second, contemplating what she had just done.

Her decision to move out of her parent's house had never been so beneficial before. As sure as the sun rises in the East, if she didn't make the bold move, her mother would have been interrogating her right about now. Where had she been, why she came home late, why her clothes were rumpled and why she was reeking of sake were only a few of the numerous barrage of questions she would have faced.

As it turned out, she went and got herself an apartment, not close but not really quite near her parents' house either. It gave her a great sense of independence and the privacy that she sorely needed. Her parents liked to look in on her every week or so, her mother making sure that she kept her abode tidy (probably snooped around for signs of boys), and bringing her home-cooked meals.

The soreness between her legs was getting more and more intolerable each second.

She couldn't tell if it was fueled by her guilt or it was just her need to be clean after committing such an unforgivable crime. She was torn between wanting to burn or frame her clothes. She finally achieved what she longed to do for more than a decade, thus the need to frame it; but she managed to do it by means of deceit, thus the urge to burn it. If burning the evidence would help her avoid going to jail, she'd be happy to do it.

Deciding that a bubble bath would help her clear her mind, she walked into her bathroom and opened the faucet, waiting for the water to get to just the right level before pouring in the bubble solution in. Fragrant aroma drifted towards her as the bubbles began to form on the surface. Not bothering to put her hair up, she sank into the bubble bath gratefully, contemplating what she just did.

She had just lost her innocence by raping Sasuke. Well sure he was a participant in the act as well, but he was so drunk and incoherent that Itachi could've come and recruited him for Akatsuki and he would have agreed to it. He was so hammered that he was even almost-sociable.

Naruto had just been promoted to the rank of Jounin, and to celebrate his promotion, he invited everyone he knew out to celebrate. His reason being that becoming a Jounin was just a few steps closer to becoming Hokage. It was extremely hard to refuse him, since he was teeming with excitement because of the fact that due to his three-year training with Jiraiya, he was the last of the Rookie 9 to achieve Chuunin status. That and he was super excited to catch up to his peers. He felt accomplished, anyone within a ten mile radius could tell. His eyes sparkled with the flames of youth that even had Gai-sensei and Lee simultaneously bursting into tears with.

He even invited Sai willingly and without any hesitation. Granted, they were friends now (although none of them would probably admit it out loud), and Sai was no longer filling up the empty spot on Team 7 since Sasuke's triumphant return, but still… it just showed how deliriously happy he was at the moment. Naruto even broke out Gama-chan with his celebration.

There was all-you-can-eat barbeque and ramen, ohagi and just about every food he got his hands on. Everyone he invited showed, including two of the greatest ninjas that Konoha had at the moment. They brought sake and then proceeded to corrupt all the younglings.

The alcohol flowed freely and the lot of them got drunk.

Naruto ended up helping Hinata haul Neji back home. Shikamaru got stuck with the responsibility to lug both Ino and Chouji home, while TenTen guided Gai-sensei home. Lee, of course, wasn't allowed to drink even a drop of any kind of alcoholic beverage (as they were well aware of the damage he could inflict if intoxicated), but he refused to abandon his teacher who was acting peculiar.

Sai, like Naruto, wasn't as intoxicated as the rest of them were, but he smiled that smile of his before he made a hasty exit before any of them could even blink. Sakura briefly wondered if it was because the young former Roots member didn't want to be troubled with hauling drunken nins to their beds or if he took lessons under Kakashi-sensei. The silver-haired Jounin was the first to hightail it out of there.

Cowards, both of them.

Inner Sakura was giggling madly at the opportunity to spend more time with Sasuke-kun, and she happily jumped on volunteering for the task of getting the Uchiha home. Jiraiya was still facing off against a drinking contest with Tsunade at that time, uncaring of the slumbering pig on top of her slumbering medic nin master on the floor in front of them, and she doubted if they even heard her call out a good night to them. If any of their enemies attacked that night, they would have succeeded in taking over Konoha because the party single-handedly managed to put the top shinobis of their village out like lights.

Sakura knew where Sasuke lived. One wasn't able to stalk properly if one didn't know where the target's residence was. Despite the fluffy fog on her brain, she managed to haul his drunken ass back home. There was no time to be embarrassed when she searched his pockets for his house key, nor was there any hesitation on her part to liberate him from the confines of his forehead protector and sandals.

His belt came next, Inner Sakura reasoned that he probably wouldn't be able to sleep comfortably with the restraint on, and that's when all sane thoughts flew out the window.

Looking back, the young medic nin couldn't remember what made her decide that the Uchiha should be liberated from his shirt as well. She spent several minutes tracing his chiseled chest in awe, having her fill. Nimble fingers moved to their own accord, guided by alcohol or her own perverted thoughts, as she gently massaged his tension away.

His skin felt so soft and warm, a stark contrast to his tight muscles and the cold façade that he always presented. The look on Sasuke's face had been one of bliss, or at least that's what she could vaguely recall before she decided to be a little bold and kissed him softly on the tip of his nose. He was just too adorable to resist, she couldn't help herself.

Things deteriorated quickly after that. One harmless peck on the nose turned into three, which then turned into a rain of sweet kisses all over his face… along his jaw… his neck… on his perfect chest and down his abs… the next thing she knew she was naked on her back with her legs thrown over his shoulders.

She allowed herself to recall the pleasant series of events, sighing dreamily. Did he even know what he was doing? She highly doubted it. What he did was probably out of reflex or something like that. Aside from the grunts and moans, Sasuke didn't utter a single word. Not one. He promptly fell asleep after he found his pleasure, too. Sakura was under the impression that perhaps he thought he had been dreaming.

Which was good, wasn't it? If he didn't know that she took advantage of him, perhaps he wouldn't have her arrested and charged with sexual molestation.

Sakura submerged further into the tub, tucking her legs under her chin as she blew desperate bubbles in the water.

If he didn't recall anything, maybe they could just pretend it never happened and resume their normal routine. Closing her eyes and squeezing her legs together, she prayed to every Kami that ever existed for it to be the case.

If that happened, and she was given a second chance, a chance to redeem herself, she swore to stop pursuing Sasuke. She would remain friends with him and Naruto, she continued to pray, and Kakashi-sensei as well, since they were still Team 7, but she would shed her fangirlish dreams about Sasuke-kun forever. _Please_, she pleaded, _I don't want to go to jail!_

And… she didn't want to lose the friendship she had with Sasuke either. Feminine shoulders slumped further into the bath, more guilt weighing upon them. What she did was unforgivable in many ways, but the worst part of it probably was that she betrayed her teammate.

If Sasuke couldn't even trust his own teammate not to take advantage of him, then what good was it for him to come back to Konoha at all?

_Sakura you idiot_, she silently chided herself. Even if it wasn't premeditated or malicious in nature, the fact that she was a horrible person for doing it still lingered. It left a bitter taste in her mouth.

Should she go to the Godaime and confess before Sasuke filed the complaint himself? She doubted that would ease the guilt she was feeling, but maybe it would lessen her sentence a bit.

_But wait…_ a tiny voice at the back of her head said. A miniscule spark of hope crept into her heart thinking **what if** Sasuke-kun actually didn't remember what happened? It could be possible, it really could. Or what if he liked it?

As soon as the thought popped into her head, she shoved it away, laughing pitifully at herself. A soft chuckle even escaped her lips.

Sasuke Uchiha, the same boy whom she trailed behind like a lost puppy, stupidly professed her love to just before he betrayed their village – the same one, if she might add, _mocked _her confession of undying love and threw it back at her face – calling her annoying, actually **like** being molested by her?

_Puhleeze!_

She shook her head, splashing a little amount of water outside of the tub. She must still be drunk, or worse, off her freaking rocker if she genuinely believed to entertain such deluded thoughts.

Sure she was on the same team as him, sure he thanked her before abandoning her, sure she was probably the only female he could stand the company of for a prolonged period of time, and she was the only female he could probably consider a friend in his vocabulary, but Sasuke Uchiha definitely did NOT like her in a romantic way, much less even desire her enough to want to have sex with her. **That** Sasuke existed only in her dreams, if she even got _that _lucky.

Being friends and teammates with someone did not equate to having romantic feelings with them. Naruto's childhood crush with her eventually fizzled out into sisterly love, the blond ninja having an epiphany as to where his true feelings were. Much to Neji The Overprotective Cousin's chagrin.

Kakashi-sensei wasn't too old for her either, but she hadn't even once thought of pursuing a relationship with him. He was more like a young father… or an older brother who had an unhealthy love for porn.

Her team was her family, and one didn't have romantic feelings for people whom you thought as your brothers… except if you already had them before you formed your team that is, but Sasuke-kun had been on an entirely different league of his own, so he didn't count.

_Oh God, what have I done?_ She threw everything that she worked so hard for out the window due to teenage hormones.

Her head met repeatedly with the edge of the tub as she banged it several times until it hurt. Served her right, though, it wasn't even enough punishment.

After all these years of talking about how she wanted to save her teammates from harm and protect them from everything that wanted to do bad with them, she went and betrayed their confidence herself. She was no better than Orochimaru in a way, she guessed. Or maybe she was even worse. She was lower than Orochimaru. At least he never pretended to be someone's friend, only to stab them in the back afterwards. Sure he disguised himself, but those were for spying purposes. Not that she wasn't an expert of all things Orochimaru, but she was sure that he never once truly befriended anybody just to turn on them later on. His agendas were always clear from the beginning, weren't they?

She sighed, weighing her options carefully.

One, she could get it over with it now and turn herself over to the authorities. Her sensei was sure going to be majorly disappointed, but she had to face the music sooner or later… maybe if she went by her own free will, the people who are close to her could find it in their hearts to forgive her?

Two, she could just wait and see if Sasuke-kun remembered. If he didn't, she swore that she would never ever bother him again about those stupid dates she kept asking him about (which he kept turning down) and she vowed that she would be his friend just like Naruto and Kakashi-sensei were. Any romantic feelings she had will be tossed away immediately, never to be spoken of, considered or even glanced at ever again. There was no use pining for someone who made it crystal clear that he would never have feelings for you. Nothing good ever comes out of blind, unrequited devotion, especially if it takes the wrong turn.

She would be his friend, teammate, confidant, bestfriend, shoulder to cry on, maid, mother, housekeeper, all-around-go-to-kind-of-girl but nothing more. If only she could have things back to the way they were before, she would forget all about her insignificant feelings.

The bath did little to ease the knots in her stomach, but it did make her feel cleaner, on the outside at least.

Her soul was still tainted.

**xXx**

Sasuke woke up with a splitting headache and rolled to the side until he almost fell off of the bed. Groaning, he brought a hand up to his forehead to massage the pain away.

What happened seemed to be the right question to ask in this type of situation. He couldn't remember when he had been so careless before, allowing himself to indulge in alcohol like that. What if someone had taken advantage of him or worse, left him for dead on a ditch somewhere?

With a silent promise never to touch liquor in his entire life ever again, he cracked an eye open. The light from the glaring sun was too much for his red-filled vision, and he brought a hand up in an attempt to filter the rays. His mouth felt dry, his body dehydrated and he had the headache the size of Mount Hokage.

He lived alone in the Uchiha Estate. Ever since his return to the village, he had been met with mixed reactions. Some were appalled, scared of what he might do next. Suspicious neighbors could often be found lurking behind doors, listening to every little sound he made on the other side of the wall, probably convinced he was hiding Orochimaru in here somewhere. Nosy bastards.

Others were scared of him, with good reason too. Nobody except his former teammates and the Hokage firmly believed that he wasn't Orochimaru. As the chosen human vessel of that raging lunatic, a lot of people found it hard to believe that he wasn't taken over. A lot of people obviously didn't believe that someone like him could get away in one piece, with his soul still in tact. Even Naruto's perverted mentor had doubts about him at first.

Who wouldn't?

Most of them, if not all, were curious. What happened to him. What did he do during the years that he was gone. What training did he undergo. Why did he return?

Having your own mini army of super-powered ninjas tended to give you an advantage over lots of things. More so if said ninjas were under your command. What he did during his years of absence were unforgivable by most people's standards. Even the president of his fanclub would probably want to re-evaluate her priorities if she knew half the things he did.

But he didn't care about those shallow people.

Obtaining power and finally extracting your revenge is sweet, very sweet, but in the end it still doesn't ease the loneliness that you feel when you're not surrounded by people who truly care about your well-being. He blamed it on that stupid moron really… also on his perverted self-appointed mentor… and his annoyingly ultra-devoted fangirl. They taught him how to be weak, how to cling to relationships with people and let it influence you.

He was perfectly fine until they corrupted him with sappy things like friendship and teamwork.

He tried so hard to be independent, to be free of all burdens that would hinder him from attaining his goal. Camaraderie and love were words and emotions that only losers used. Camaraderie and love will not bring forth the justice and give him the revenge his soul screamed for.

He suddenly felt a bit nauseated, a reminder for him to wring Naruto's neck the next time he saw the blond idiot. If it wasn't for him and his stupid enthusiasm for his stupid promotion, Sasuke wouldn't be trying to will his body to move towards the lavatory before he heaved all over his bed right now.

Trust Naruto to make something as mundane as a simple promotion into something akin to a village holiday. _Idiot._

Images of pink hair and sweat invaded his mind just as he reached the toilet and emptied his stomach over it. The thoughts abandoned him as he got reacquainted with what he ate last night. _Ugh, gross!_ He quickly flushed it down as he hurled once more.

After his nausea passed, the cold water against his face felt very refreshing. The red-eyed stare that looked back at him in the mirror was framed with paler than normal skin and it wasn't because his Sharingan was activated. The veins around his pupils were bloodshot, a reminder of last night's indulgence. Even his normal spiky hair looked wilted. He felt like someone ran several successive rasengans at him repeatedly.

He was never going to touch liquor ever again in his life. Not even if he had the permission of the Hokage herself. The two Sannin weren't only legendary in their ninja skills, but they could probably outlast everyone in the whole village in a drinking contest. Did the dobe get drunk as well?

Eeehhh… what the… _was that a hicky on his neck?_

**xXx**


	2. I didn't do it, I'm innocent!

"Thanks for inviting me, Sasuke!" The blond boy slurped his noodles happily. Not only was he eating this meal for free, but Sasuke was actually the one who initiated the outing instead of him. Sasuke was finally coming around, wasn't he? Even if the Uchiha preferred to scowl blackly at his ramen like that, it didn't ruin his mood at all.

"Naruto, were you the one who brought me home last night?"

"No, I helped Hinata bring Neji home. It might have been Kakashi-sensei, Sai or Sakura-chan. Why do you ask?"

"It's nothing."

Sasuke's scowl turned pensive, as memories of gyrating bodies invaded his thoughts. The images were blurry and foggy at best, the image of the silhouette unclear, but it gave him an unexpected hot flash at the same time. He shifted ever so slightly in his seat, uneaten ramen in front of him. If it was Sakura... no. Sakura wouldn't do that to him, would she? Not when she insisted that she wanted to be his friend, now more than ever.

Sakura was certainly the best choice considering his other options were Sai and Kakashi. One was a cocky bastard whom he couldn't stand and the other was a pervert. Yes, Sakura was definitely the best choice. BUT! Did it really happen? Everything seemed so surreal, like a really hot wet dream. It wasn't like his normal wet dream either. This particular one still plagued him; it felt so good and so right for some reason.

So did it really happen? All he had were memories that made him hot and bothered, and a possible bite mark on the neck.

A vampire?

But why was he naked?

Granted, he _did_ normally sleep in the nude, but he had no clear recollection of last night. He wouldn't be so bothered if not for those erotic flashbacks. It was one thing if it was about Sakura, but what if it was about Kakashi or Sai?

It took all of his self-control not to throw up all over his ramen.

ღ

_Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit... _was all she could think of for the next forty-eight hours.

As cowardly as it was (and she wasn't denying it), she decided to avoid Sasuke as much as possible for now. She threw herself in her work, taking double shifts, extending her work hours and practicing twice a day: one in the morning before the sun rose and one in the afternoon, during her break. She was so busy, literally on the move every second, that she had no time to wallow in her guilt or be in a situation where she would have to fess up her crime.

Technically, it wasn't really rape, was it?

She spared a couple of minutes looking up the technical definition of the word in the guise of doing research.

Rape (noun) 1) The unlawful compelling of a woman through physical force or duress to have sexual intercourse.

Inner Sakura says: yay! Sasuke isn't a woman so does that mean I won't go to jail?

2) Any act of sexual intercourse that is forced upon a person.

Inner Sakura says: ... I'm doomed.

Sakura hunched over the dictionary with her hands gripping her pink locks. She was seated in a secluded part of the Konoha library so no one threw her weird looks for her weird behavior.

What was the punishment for rape in Konoha? Were the Akatsuki recruiting any new members? Was running away from home even an option? Hmmm… those Akatsuki cloaks didn't look so bad once you got used to it. Throw in a few accessories and she might even manage to make herself look fashionable. If they allowed her to shorten it and cut it in a few places...

Ack, what was she thinking!?

Running away from the law because of a crime she committed wasn't how she imagined she'd be doing at this stage in her life.

"Watchoo readin' there Sakura?"

Sakura jumped almost three feet into the air.

"Geez, calm down. I didn't mean to startle you. Not many good-looking men talk to you a lot, do they? Tsk tsk."

Sakura turned to glare at a smiling Sai standing behind her, a thick book in his hand. "Did you come here just to bait me? Go away; I don't have time to play with you and your cooties today."

Sai faked looking offended. "You wound me, now that we truly are team mates, isn't it a good idea to spend more quality time together?" Team Seven was now composed of Naruto, Sakura, Sai and Sasuke.

Kakashi filled in once in a while when they needed an extra member, but like all the other former senseis of the Rookie Nine, they've seen their former students flourish as ninjas and stand on their own feet now. Most of the other senseis of the Rookie Nine had a fresh batch of genin again, too. Their silver-haired former-ANBU ex-sensei didn't though; he claimed that no other squad could compare or pass his test after Team Seven, but Team Seven knew that he was just plain lazy to "babysit another batch of genin brats".

"Will it make you feel better if I make that into an order?" Sakura asked sweetly. She enjoyed her odd yet close relationship with Sai but right now she needed some alone time to contemplate her situation.

"Just because you're the squad leader now doesn't mean you could boss me around in my free time," Sai replied just as sweetly.

Yes, Team Seven was Sakura's squad now, but they all liked to call it Team Kakashi still. If you took away her skill in manipulating chakra, she would still be the weakest member of their team, and her taijutsu, though quite good, would still be the worst, but she had the sharpest intellect out of the four of them and had the best leadership skills. Sai would probably make a sarcastic comment about that and contradict it, but it won't be enough to change facts.

"What are you reading?" Sai repeated his question, leaning over to take a look at her book. "Uh... why are you reading up on _that_?" He pointed at the word that Sakura was reading with her ruler.

A burst of speed she wasn't known for had Sai pinned on a library wall before he could blink.

"Shush!"

The hand held to his mouth made it difficult to talk so he smiled his fake smile to encourage her to let him go. He didn't wish to pay for any damages they were sure to make if he struggled against Sakura's hold.

"I didn't mean to do it okay?" Sakura whispered frantically. Using her chakra to overpower him, she had one hand holding both of his in place, added to the hand on his mouth and her legs held his trapped. They were locked in an intimate position but Sakura was too panicked to notice and Sai was too curious about her behavior to care.

Do what? Sai would've asked if he could.

"It just happened... and... it was the alcohol!" Sakura's hazy green eyes were starting to creep him out, especially when her voice turned a little dreamy, "Yeah... that's right... it was the alcohol, nothing more... and it's never going to happen again."

He slowly extracted himself from her death grip. "What's never going to happen again?"

"Sex with Sasuke," Sakura replied before she could stop herself.

"What!" Sai would have shrieked the word if he were capable of shrieking. Thank god only girly men shrieked because he certainly wasn't a girly man.

"What!!!" Sakura screamed at him, mortified at her slip.

"What?" Sai asked again, wanting clarification.

"What!" Sakura looked really alarmed, internally debating the best course of action to keep Sai silent. Should she pretend it was just a joke or get rid of the witness. Where should she bury the body though?

"What?"

"What!"

"What?"

"Ssshh!" The librarian chastised, she could hear the What Duo all the way from the front desk.

"Sai!" Sakura was doing her rendition of a panicked headless chicken, "I was only joking! Aha! Hahaha!"

"Your laugh is so fake, it's painful," Sai winced.

Sakura scowled at him. "I didn't say anything."

His smile was truly evil. "Yes you did." A gloved finger tapped the side of his forehead. "And I'm not dumb."

"Could've fooled me," she mumbled.

He let her insult slide like water off a duck's back. "I could put two and two together."

She continued to scowl at him. "So you can do elementary math, big deal."

His grin grew wider. "And it wouldn't hurt for you to be nicer to me, now that I know your secret."

"You don't know anything!" Sakura scoffed.

Sai crossed his arms across his chest. "Hmmm... let's see... there was this party, and you took the traitor home – he looked really sotted to me when I left," he ignored the fists that Sakura shook in his direction. "And after that you're looking mighty guilty after looking up a word... muttering suspiciously to yourself about this and that..." Sakura's angry fists faltered. "Do I have to spell it out for you or could that tiny brain of yours follow the direction where I'm going here?"

Sakura's fists were no longer angry, they were a little scared. "Heeh, so what? You only have assumptions from so little. What are you trying to say?"

"Oh nothing, nothing at all," Sai replied, putting his book back in its shelf. Suddenly, he wasn't interested in reading it anymore. Not when he found something else to amuse himself with.

Sakura didn't let her guard down.

"I guess," Sai said, pausing for dramatic effect, "I could always ask Sasuke-kun how his night was after you took him home..."

Obsidian and green eyes stared at each other for the next few minutes. Sakura's shoulders sagged when she was first to blink. "All right, what do you want in exchange for your complete and utter silence?"

What followed next was one of those really rare moments in history where Sai smiled a genuine smile.

ღ

**_Notes:_** I'm sorry for the really late update but I'm good at procrastinating. Sorry for the short chapter too. Should I even continue this? I just wanted to keep it alive, but I was a bit distracted... I'll try to write a longer one next time, if my muse for the crossover doesn't strangle my muse for this one. lol! Anyway, thanks for the reviews!


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